During certain manufacturing processes, vessels containing various fluids are used. Often it is necessary to transfer fluid into or out of a vessel during the process and do so in a manner that eliminates or substantially eliminates the possibility of leakage or contamination. In particular, the need to transfer fluid in such a manner often arises in the manufacturing and processing of pharmaceuticals, biopharmaceuticals, or other biotechnology applications where processes are conducted in vessels of varying shapes and sizes. The need for fluid transfer into and out of a vessel arises in other applications and industries as well, including but not limited to, the production of food, cosmetics, paint, chemicals, including hazardous chemicals, and the transfer and handling of semiconductor fluids.
Regardless of the industry, during transfers or sampling, it may be desirable to transfer the entire contents, or substantially the entire contents, of the vessel. However, conduits employed to transfer fluids into and out of vessels may not be configured to reach the lowest point in the vessel. Thereby, some fluid may typically remain in the vessel during an attempted transfer of the contents thereof, which may increase operational expenses and/or skew analyses regarding the removed fluid.
Thus, what is needed is a conduit terminus configured to access and receive substantially all of the fluid in a vessel during a fluid transfer operation without requiring significant user input.